The Seventh Element
by Triteia624
Summary: When the Mane 6's children have grown along with Princess Cadence's daughter, the Elements of Harmony have been inherited upon them, including a secret seventh element. So when a new form of evil has risen, the new 'Mane Gang' has to discover the second most powerful element to stop the rising chaos before Equestria is drowned by bitterness.
1. Prologue

Darkness fell over the Everfree Forest in Equestria as crickets began their evening song. All nocturnal animals began to crawl from their homes, whether from the tall leafy green trees or the burrows under the rich, dark soil. It was a beautiful sight along with the stars and fireflies for one to see and take it all in.

Unfortunately, a cloaked Pegasus colt paid no heed to the nature around him as he trotted deep into the forest where no pony has ever dared to come before. His eyes were deep blue (almost black, actually), his coat was deep gray, and his hooves were a blackish blue. A lock of his greasy deep blue mane fell over his face, which he blew back.

This colt, named Gray Sky, walked on a cracked road leading up to a dark, uncanny-looking castle in the distance. It gave the impression of being ancient with vines adorning it and the windows and cement cracked and worn as if they had been ignored by the castle's owners. Trotting up the steps leading to its front door, the colt huffed and slowed every few seconds. Finally, he reached the wooden door, which had worn down like the rest of the castle, the wood peeled down and the silver adorning it rusted.

The colt opened it with a force from his left hoof, causing it to give a loud, deafening screech. He trotted inside to what looked like the throne room, where, in silver armor bejeweled with deep red rubies, stood an alicorn, aka a Pegasus, unicorn, and Earth pony combined. However, instead of feathered wings, he had bat-like wings that extended from his black coat. He had dark red lizard-like eyes that matched the rubies on his armor, and his horn was sharp at the very tip unlike most unicorn horns. His mane and tail were a deep crimson that waved like fire protruding from his helmet and rump, and he had sharp, white teeth that contrasted against his coat.

The colt trotted up to him and removed the hood from his face, revealing a long, lightning-shaped scar on his neck. "My lord," he said in a young adult voice, "Princess Cadence has given birth to a baby filly today." The alicorn colt responded coldly in a gruff voice, "I know that, you idiot. I sensed her pains in labor. How pathetic of her to forget it all for a worthless little baby." He trotted to a nearby window as the night enfolded. "Should we send the troops to invade the Crystal Empire now?" Gray Sky asked, taking a lot of effort not to sound offended by his master thinking of him as an idiot.

"No," the alicorn replied, "We shall be patient. Once the Bearers of Harmony have their elements passed on to their children, we will make our move." He turned to Gray Sky and added, "Keep an eye on the Bearers until then." The gray colt bowed and said, "Yes, Master," before trotting out of the throne room.

The alicorn turned back to the window, where he saw his place of interest―the Crystal Empire, shining in the distance. He muttered in an ominous tone as he stared at it, "Keep on shining now, Princess Cadence, for soon, your secret Element will be _mine_." He let out an evil cackle at the vision of his plan's success, feeling the power and authority that he will soon prevail.

At least, that was what he thought…


	2. So Much for Remembering the Surprise

_Thirteen years later…_

Celestia's sun rose over the small town of Ponyville, sparking a new and very special day in the summer. Ponies young and old were awake and bustling about, setting up business in the market place, enjoying three months off of school, or travelling around Equestria.

The leaves of the Golden Oaks Library glistened with the sun's rays as a sleeping alicorn colt inside on a night-themed bed grumbled, pulling a blanket over him. His light blue and purple streaks of hair spread across the pillow as a trail of drool escaped his mouth unto his mauve coat, which displayed a cutie mark of comet shooting out of a telescope. His name was Prince Star Gazer, son of Princess Twilight Sparkle and former royal guard Prince Flash Sentry.

Just then, a young male dragon sneaked into the prince's room. He had light purple scales with a green spine down to his pointy tail, a teal belly, and emerald green eyes. He was Reef, son of Spike and Marine, the two dragons and assistants of Twilight.

Reef looked at his friend's current condition and sighed before climbing on the bed. He immediately started shaking him. "Star Gazer, wake up!" he urged, but the only response he received was a grumble. The young dragon was not about to give up, so he whined continuously, "Gaaaaazeeeeeerrrrrr…"

Finally, tired of his friend's wails, Star Gazer removed the blanket from his head, revealing his cornflower blue eyes. His mane was all over the place as he groggily asked his friend, "What is it, Reef?"

"Gaze, do you know what day it is?" the young dragon asked.

"Uh… Tuesday?"

"Dude, try harder!"

"National Diamond Mine Day?"

"No."

"Sapphire cupcake special at the Sugar Cube Corner?"

"I wish, but no."

"Bother Star Gazer All Day so He Could Not Go Back to Sleep Day?"

"Not even close, man!"

"Then what is it?!" Gazer by now had lost his patience and levitated Reef off the bed with his magic.

"It's Melody's birthday, you dum-dum!" Reef answered, flailing around as he wanted to land on the floor.

His wish was granted―even though it hurt a bit―as Gazer dropped him on the ground at the shock of the realization. Princess Melodina (or Melody for short) was his alicorn cousin and the daughter of Princess Cadence and Shining Armor of the Crystal Empire. Today was her birthday, and Gazer and his friends planned to surprise her with a party at Sugar Cube Corner, Ponyville's local bakery.

A few seconds of pause passed before Star Gazer asked quickly, "Well, why didn't you say something?" before zooming out of the room. Reef narrowed his eyes as it was obvious why. "Maybe it's because you kept sticky notes about it _all_ around the house!" he argued, holding up his tail. Sure enough, it had a sticky note that said, _"MELODY'S BIRTHDAY: DON'T FORGET!"_

"That doesn't matter now!" the prince exclaimed as he made it back into the room, his mane straightened out. "I need you to round up the gang to prepare the party, stat!" Reef saluted his pal and chanted, "Yes, sir!"

The two immediately rushed out of the library/house, but they paused in mid-air when Twilight Sparkle called, having overheard their conversation, "Not until you two have breakfast!" The two sped back into the house, Gazer declaring, "After breakfast."

"And cleaning up all the sticky notes in the fridge," Reef added.

"Whatever."

…

After breakfast and a sticky note clean-up, Gazer and Reef exited out of the library to gather up the 'Mane Gang', as Reef called it. The two reached the Town Hall, where Gazer directed Reef, "Alright, you'll get A.C., Jewel, and Berry, while I fetch Lightning and Leafly."

"What about their brothers and sisters?" Reef asked.

"As long as they promise not to eat the food before the party, they can help."

"Aye-aye, Captain," Reef saluted before running off to fetch the named ponies he has to round up, while Gazer flew up into the sky to fetch the first friend on his list.

The prince flew up to a cloud mansion just outside of Cloudsdale, a city where everything was made of clouds. Just as he reached the door, however, a streak of three random shades of blue zoomed past him. Gazer showed confusion on his face before narrowing his eyes, realizing who the culprit was. He perked up his ears and heard a very familiar chuckle coming from behind him. Sure enough, he turned his head and saw his suspect― a young Pegasus with a pale azure coat, a cutie mark of two lightning blasts intersecting, and a spiky navy mane with turquoise blue highlights, laughing like crazy at his small prank. His name was Lightning Flash, son of Rainbow Dash and Soarin.

"Oh, you should've seen the look on your face!" Lightning exclaimed, briefly showing his bright green eyes, before falling on the cloud back-first, clutching his stomach as his laughs continue to burst. Gazer rolled his eyes just as a young Pegasus filly opened the door with a water bottle in her mouth. She had a blue coat a few shades darker than Lightning's, bright blue hair with orange streaks, rose-pink eyes, and no cutie mark yet. Her name was Sun Streak, named after her carroty highlights, also known as Lightning Flash's sister.

The little filly handed the bottle to Lightning, who immediately took it and guzzled the contents into his mouth, thankfully ceasing his laughs. He threw the bottle back to his sister and said, "Thanks, little sis. Huh, I thought for a second I was literally gonna die from laughter." He gave a small chuckle at the thought as he stood up. However, his smile disappeared at the solemn look on Gazer's face, immediately taking the hint that his friend was not in the mood for his games.

The Pegasus cleared his throat and said quickly, "Sorry about that."

Changing the subject, curious Sun Streak asked while her brother ruffled her hair, "So, what's the buzz, S.G.?"

Gazer replied, taking out a list and reading it, "Do you and your brother remember that Melody's birthday is today?"

Lightning's eyes dilated suddenly. "T-t-t-t-to-d-d-d-day?"

"Yeah, it's today. I put you in charge of clearing the weather for the party, remember?"

And just like that, Lightning shouted with a salute, "Yes! Right away!" and dashed to do his job, leaving behind a confused Gazer and a smirking Sun Streak. Noticing her mischievous look and inferring that she knew of Lightning's behavior, the alicorn asked, "What's his deal?"

"I don't mean to say anything out of school, but L.F. has a huge crush on Melody!" the young filly replied with a giggle.

"Shut up!" Gazer said, trying hard not to snicker.

"It's true! Hay, he was out all day two days ago to look for a gift for her!" Sun Streak exclaimed, unable to control her laughs. The colt joined with her briefly at his discovery until he asked, "Do you want to help me bring the gang together at Sugar Cube Corner?"

"Eeyup!"

"Then hop to it, sister!" Gazer announced before taking off while Sun Streak headed to the opposite direction.

Oblivious to them, a mysterious hooded Pegasus spied on them the entire time, sinking in every piece of information. He immediately flew off as soon as they were gone, hoping to reach his master and let him know what he had discovered so far.


	3. Party in the Hole!

_Half an hour later…_

Reef, Star Gazer, and Sun Streak finally had the Mane Gang, including Lightning Dust, at Sugar Cube Corner in a room planned for the party. They had already unfolded and set up the tables and chairs and placed their presents for Melody on a lone table decorated with an aqua cloth, each representing their mane and coat colors. The six friends, most along with their siblings, were about to arrange the room for the party when Reef piped in, "Wait, where are the decorations?"

Lightning immediately panicked, "There are no decorations? There are no decorations?! How are we supposed to have a party if there are no stinking party decorations?!"

"Calm down, L.F.!" a light yellow female Earth pony interjected. She had dark pink hair with pinkish-red highlights, artic blue eyes, and a cutie mark of a white cake topped with berries. Her name was Berry Treat, daughter of Pinkie Pie and Blissful Beat, current workers of the Sugar Cube Corner. "I brought the big guns for this already!" she continued.

"Oh, yeah, right. Just wanted to make sure," Lightning said nervously, scratching the back of his forehead and cursing himself for that embarrassing moment in front of his friends.

To his dismay, Leafly, a Pegasus mare with long flowing hair in two different shades of green, a teal-green coat, chocolate brown eyes, and a cutie mark of a pink flower with two leaves behind it, giggled and teased in a soft voice similar to her mother Fluttershy, "Looks like you care about Melody, huh, Lightning?"

Lightning Flash blushed and immediately defended himself, saying, "Well, I… err…_we_ would not want to disappoint her!"

"Uh, huh. Most likely story there, Lightning," an Earth pony colt with a Southern drawl kidded. He had caramel-yellow skin, white freckles, green eyes, chocolate-brown hair, a light brown Stetson hat on top of his head, and a cutie mark of a mug of apple cider. His name was Apple Cider, son of Applejack and Caramel, current owners of Sweet Apple Acres, home of the most delicious apples of Equestria.

"Well, you wouldn't want to disappoint Jewel on _her_ birthday!" Lightning argued, the blushing on his cheeks growing brighter than cherries as he referred to Jewel, daughter of Rarity and Fancy Pants, former being the owner of the Carousel Boutique and latter a high society unicorn.

Apple Cider's mouth turned into an embarrassed frown while his younger twin siblings, Apple Jam and Apple Buck, guffawed at the look on their brother's face. The two both had pale orange coats, blue eyes, deep caramel hair, and, like Sun Streak, no cutie marks. The only difference was that Apple Jam's hair was braided with a green bow on the end while Apple Buck's was short and slightly unkempt.

"Now ya'll stop that laughing!" Cider snapped at them strictly, immediately shutting the young foals up at his tone.

"Cider, darling, show some manners to those two," Jewel said, her wavy light blue mane bouncing with her graceful trots towards him. She had a white coat, indigo eyes, and a cutie mark of a glimmering amethyst surrounded by a silver frame. Apple Cider had to admit; she was a radiant beauty.

"Now stop this petty little argument and let's let Berry decorate, shall we, gents?" the unicorn mare asked with two innocent blinks.

Apple Cider and Lightning sighed and replied, "Yes, Jewel," before giving each other an apologetic bro-hoof.

The cow-pony immediately whispered when Jewel was out of earshot, "You gotta admit, though; Melody is quite a catch." Lightning gave him a narrowed eye glare, causing Cider to smirk.

An azure cannon with two pink wheels with a purple middle with flowers in the center suddenly rolled in, being pushed in by Berry. It was her mother's party cannon, used for immediate party decorating.

Apple Cider whispered to Lightning Flash, being as shocked as he was at the cannon, "She wasn't lying when she said she was bringing the big guns." Everyone else looked uneasily at the party cannon, dreading their last encounter with it.

"Um, Berry," Jewel's little sister Paucity (who looked like a filly version of Rarity with no cutie mark and round eyes) said, backing behind her sister, "don't you remember the last time you used the cannon at Neon's party?"

Berry looked like she was off in a daze as she remembered that notable, embarrassing day…

_*Flashback*_

"_Berry, what's with the cannon?" a light green colt with neon green and aqua hair (hence his name, Neon) and a cutie mark of a music player with ear buds asked, studying the girly-looking weapon along with the gang. "It's my mom's party cannon! It'll be super-duper faster to decorate this room!" Berry exclaimed proudly as she patted the side of it._

"_Okay," he said with a shrug. "Give it your best shot."_

_Berry prepared the cannon quickly, stuffing it with the decorations. However, when she finished, it looked overstuffed; bits of streamers and party hats stuck out of its opening._

"_Let's light this candle!" the light yellow pony asked, backing behind the cannon and cueing it. However, the cannon only started rumbling along with an ominous tune._

"_Uh, Berry, is it supposed to do that?" Lightning, who offered to help with the party, asked nervously. Even though he knew nothing about the cannon, he had a feeling there was something wrong with it._

_Berry's eyes widened suddenly, realizing what she did wrong. "Take cover!" she squealed, pulling Neon and the entire gang under a table with great ease. The cannon's rumbling increased while bouncing around insanely with smoke starting to emit from it. It grew larger and larger, and finally…_

_**KABOOM!**_

_*End of flashback*_

"Okay, maybe I shouldn't have overstuffed the cannon," Berry Treat admitted, scratching the back of her neck, "but I was able to fix Neon's party by hoof. Also, I made sure the cannon's stuffed _correctly_." She gestured to her party tool; sure enough, it did not look overstuffed one bit. However, the gang still carried the nervous look on their faces.

Glancing at each other and knowing they could never upset their friend, they nodded at Berry, who squealed with sheer delight at their permission. She was so joyful about it that she did not notice her friends placing on helmets and hiding under tables to shield themselves from any unexpected explosion.

The party-loving mare like her mother bounced behind the cannon and, with an unknown switch or button pressed, said, "Party in the hole!"

_BOOM!_

The five friends all forced their eyes open as they emerged from under the table, and what they saw caused them to gape in wonder.

No evidence of a fiery explosion showed in the entire room, but music-themed party decorations (considering Melody's love for music) adorned it completely. The streamers, table cloths, confetti, and balloons placed themselves in boring parts of the area, popping it with colorful displays of aqua, magenta, and purple, each glamorized with sparkling music notes. A white cake landed on one empty table along with other food and punch, having a black treble clef on the side while the rest of the space said, "HAVE A TUNEFUL BIRTHDAY, MELODY!" in turquoise writing.

After ten seconds of staring at the scene, Jewel breathed out, "It's so… so…"

"AWESOME!" Sun Streak finished without hesitation. "Melody is going to love it!"

"Huh, never doubted you for a second, Berry," Lightning said overly relieved and a bit prideful. Apple Cider gave him a glare that said 'Quit being a liar', making him recant, "Okay, maybe I did, but I sure underestimated you. It really speaks Melody."

"Aw, thanks, Lightning," Berry said with a small blush, being flattered by the compliment.

"Wait!" Reef exclaimed suddenly, remembering something important. "How do we know if Melody's coming?"

The gang immediately went into thought on how to know if Melody was coming so they could prepare to surprise her.

"I know!" Paucity squeaked. "One of us should go to the front window and look for Melody. Once he or she sees her, they have to yell, 'Soprano!' and wait for her to come. Then, they will take her in and… moment of surprise."

Apple Cider wore a confused face as he did not know anything about music terms. "Soprano?" he said.

"A singer that can sing from a pitch of approximately middle C to high A," Star Gazer replied. Apple Cider just blinked, not understanding half of what he said.

Leafly sighed and explained, "Someone who can sing in a very high voice."

"Oh, okay," Apple Cider said, finally understanding. He then muttered something under his breath about fancy words being in music.

"Ooh! Can I watch for Melody?" Berry Treat volunteered, raising her hoof.

"Actually, Berry, I think Lightning here would be more than happy to do the job," Apple Cider said with a smirk. Lightning's eyes dilated as he knew why his friend brought up the suggestion.

He began quickly, "Uh, actually, Apple Cider―"

"Okie-dokie-lokie!" Berry immediately piped in, pushing a dismayed Lightning to the entrance. She left him there to join her friends to get ready.

"A.C., I swear…" Lightning said through clenched teeth as he turned to the window…

... Only to see Melody hopping off the crystal carriage. She was an alicorn with an aqua coat, vivid purple eyes, a wavy mane of light blue, purple, and magenta tied in a pony tail (excuse the pun if it seems there is one), and a cutie mark of an upside treble clef and a reflected bass clef close enough to make it look like a heart.

"AAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHH! SOPRANO! SOPRANO!" Lightning yelled in a very panicked voice. He then heard a quick shuffling from the room, letting him know that his friends heard him and prepared for the moment.

Lightning gulped and sweated so much, it could fill twenty barrels. He thought anxiously to himself, oblivious to the door creaking open, _Okay, don't panic, dude; you got this! Just act cool and all, and it'll be just…_

"Hi, Lightning!"

Lightning screamed literally like a girl hearing Melody's voice. He turned and saw the princess behind him closing the door. "Melody! I, er, didn't see ya there!" the Pegasus exclaimed, anxiety pumping in his rapid heart.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. So, what's the deal about Berry Treat sending this letter telling me to come here today?" she asked, using her magic to levitate a half-unrolled letter in front of him that said the following words in cursive penmanship.

_Princess Melodina,_

_Please come to the Sugar Cube Corner this Saturday at 10:00 a.m. Do not ask why, and do not take this as a threat._

Lightning was surprised that she knew it was Berry, but he knew better than to reveal, so he said, "It doesn't look like it was from Berry Treat."

Melody, however, narrowed her eyes at the comment and made the letter completely unroll, revealing sparkling pink writing in the following words:

_P.S. Please make sure your stomach is empty and ready for sugary sweetness!_

Lightning thought to himself angrily,_ I thought I told her not to use that pink gel pen!_ He then said, trying not to give way the surprise, "Well, uh, maybe Berry wanted to show you something! Come on, I'll help you find her." He motioned for her to follow him, and she did so, wondering what Berry would possibly want to show her.

Outside, the same cloaked Pegasus from earlier spotted the two from a side window, and he said to seemingly no one, "The princess is in the building now, Master." In his mind, the listener replied in a gruff, ominous voice, "Excellent. Summon the troops." The Pegasus replied, "Yes, Master."

A male sales-pony nearby heard the Pegasus' low voice, thankfully not making out what he said. He yelled rudely, "Hey, you keep talking to yourself like that, people are gonna think you're crazy!"

The cloaked colt let out an annoyed sigh and slinked away, preparing for an ambush on what were to be the future heroes of Equestria.

**A.N.: Sorry about the late update. School called my name **_**way**_** too early.**


	4. One Too Many Surprises

Lightning led Melody to the closed door of the room where the surprise was enclosed. The princess' face was skeptical as she did not know what Berry wanted and that today happened to be her birthday due to princess duties that she put all her attention into for the last few weeks. Therefore, she had no idea what to expect.

Lightning said, "Alright, I want you to close your eyes, and I'll lead you in."

The princess looked confused but did as she was told, letting her hoof find Lightning's. The Pegasus blushed and nearly choked as it wrapped in his, radiating it with her warmth. He took a deep breath to recompose himself, and he opened the door.

The princess, with her eyes still shut, let Lightning lead her into the room, where the friends were ready with party hats on. Closing the door behind him, Lightning said, "Alright, on a count of three, I want you to open your eyes." The alicorn nodded and prepared for the counting.

"One…"

The gang's smiles grew big and eyes turned eager.

"Two…"

Berry Treat began to shake from the excitement bubbling in her like fizzy apple cider.

"Three!"

Melody's eyes opened, and her friends did not hesitate for the moment.

"SURPRISE!"

Melody gasped in happiness as her friends jumped out, Sun Streak placing a party hat on her head. The music-themed room took the princess' breath away. It was perfect for a music-loving alicorn princess such as her.

That was when she remembered it was her birthday.

"I knew I was forgetting something today!" she exclaimed.

"That's super!" Berry exclaimed excitedly. "Because if you knew, then it won't be surprise!"

Everyone laughed at Berry's comment heartily. "Thank you so much, guys," Melody said, a smile spreading across her face.

"No prob, Melody," Lightning said. "Now crank up the tunes!"

On cue, Reef took out a record player and played a dance song with an energetic beat.

"Ooh! This is my jam!" Berry exclaimed as she swayed to the beat of the music along with everyone else.

"You go, Berry. Woo-hoo!" Leafly said in a soft yet excited voice as Berry danced like a professional along with her, Apple Jam, and Paucity.

Meanwhile, Melody tried a cup of delicious apple cider made by―of course― Apple Cider. "Yum!" the princess exclaimed. "This is much better than the crystal iced tea back home."

"Well, I'd be darned!" Apple Cider replied. "You know, this here is the traditional recipe made by my great Granny Smith. I was _and still am_ the only other one who knows it."

"Well, in that case, you better hide from my mom," Lightning joked. "Seriously, though. She would _kill_ for it, as far as she's concerned."

"Don't forget your dad," Star Gazer added. "He would do just about anything to get his hooves on the Apple family's apple pie recipe."

"True that."

After more chatting and dancing, Berry seated Melody in a chair in front of the presents. Melody scanned the mountain of gifts and said with a chuckle, "Wow, I feel more spoiled than last year."

"Ooh! Ooh! Open mine, open mine!" Berry squealed excitedly. The princess took the box with the party pony's colors and used her teeth to rip the paper. She opened the box and gasped. She pulled out a cupcake-shaped music box and opened it up, causing it to play a cheery tune (**A.N.: the Smile Song**).

"Your mom's song!" Melody realized with a gasp.

"Yep! I picked that one 'cause it always makes you smile!" the light yellow pony said.

Melody opened up the rest of the presents and received the following: a sparkly magenta dress from Jewel, a gem-encrusted head band to go with it from Paucity, a bird-calling flute from Leafly, a card from Apple Cider, Apple Buck, and Apple Jam ("We couldn't find anything fancy, so we stuck with this."), a glowing star lamp from Star Gazer, and a pair of earphones from Sun Streak.

Finally, it was Lightning's present to be opened. The blue Pegasus gulped as Melody levitated the slightly grubby-looking package to her hooves. "I wondered what Lightning got me," she asked aloud.

"Maybe an engagement ring," Apple Cider murmured jokingly to Star Gazer.

"Hey, I have ears too, you know!" Lightning snapped, overhearing Apple Cider's words.

Melody, like with the other presents, ripped the paper off, revealing a small black velvet box with the words "Canterlot Jewel Crafting" in cursive silver writing.

"HUH! You got that from the most expensive jewel crafting store in all of Equestria?!" Jewel asked dramatically.

"What can I say? When your parents are the awesome Wonderbolts, it never hurts to ask for a little cash," Lightning said, although he was still nervous about what Melody would think of what was inside the box. He held his breath as Melody's magic lifted the lid upwards. He bit his lip when her eyes widened. She let an aura lift up the present in front of everyone.

They all gasped in astonishment.

A beautiful amethyst surrounded by a silver frame encrusted with tiny magenta and turquoise gems hung from a thin silver chain enclosed inside the aura. The amethyst gleamed from the light penetrating through the window.

Melody gaped at it. "I… I…" she stammered.

"AGH! I knew you'd hate it! I should've stuck with a CD in the first place!" Lightning exclaimed, guessing too quickly of what Melody thought.

"Lightning…"

"I spent a hundred and so bits on that! Mom and Dad are gonna kill me for a waste of money!"

"Lightning…"

"I'll have to work my flank off on the Junior Ponyville Weather Team for weeks to gain back those bits!"

"LIGHTNING!" Melody shrieked.

"Yeah?"

"I don't like it."

Lightning felt a part of him die inside while everyone looked at him in sympathy.

"I LOVE IT!" the princess squealed with an aerial back flip.

The blue Pegasus felt a huge relief inside of him. "Oh. You're welcome. And, uh, forget the last few things I said," he said calmly with a small blush.

Melody carefully placed the pendent around her neck, the amethyst matching her eyes. "Thank you so much, Lightning. That is so thoughtful of you, I could just kiss you!" she exclaimed.

Lightning's eyes widened as a blush spread across his face. "Oh, uh, I…" he sputtered, trying to find the right words.

Apple Cider zoomed to him and hissed in his ear, "Don't blow your chance, man! It's now or never!"

Lightning looked into Melody's eyes as they glimmered on, mesmerizing him. He felt his neck stretch forward to her face, Melody copying his movements. Soon, their noses barely touched each other.

Jewel, Berry, Paucity, and Apple Jam felt their eyes widen, while Sun Streak and Apple Buck covered their eyes, not wanting to see the potential kiss. Apple Cider murmured, "Come on, come on. I know you want to." Star Gazer just watched casually while chewing on an apple fritter.

The two's locked gaze suddenly lost concentration as something slammed down on the roof, causing the room to shake.

"Oh, come on!" Paucity whined at the interruption, while the rest looked up at the roof in shock.

"What in tarnation was that?" Apple Cider wondered aloud.

"Ooh! Maybe Mom installed fireworks on the roof!" Berry suggested while everyone stared at her. She noticed and said, "What? It could happen!"

"Hate to burst your bubble, B.T., but something tells me that wasn't fireworks," Lightning said as cracks appeared in the middle of the roof, proving his point.

Just then, a black hoof with a silver shoe crashed through the ceiling, startling Leafly immediately. She hopped unto Star Gazer's arms, clinging to him like a child would to a teddy bear in the night.

"You know, I thought I'd never see the day a mare wouldn't hesitate to hang on to me for protection," he said in a deadpan tone.

His thoughts were short-lived as more hooves appeared, revealing a giant hole. The gang looked up in shock as the sight before them appeared.

Black bat-winged Pegasi with silver armor and bright green eyes looked down at them ominously, snarling at them. The citizens of Ponyville saw them above the bakery in confusion and fear.

The foals of the group and Berry Treat huddled together in fear as Jewel stood in front of them, determined to protect her little sister and her friends. Lightning shielded Melody while Leafly stayed in her death grip with Gazer.

Apple Cider could only murmur under his breath, "How many surprises are we in for today?"

The answer was to come soon enough…


End file.
